Reviews

?and that a small one. For rapidity of reference it would have been helpful to place, at the top centre of each page, the name of the fluid or tissue to which that page referred. At present it is not always easy without reading well into the paragraphs or referring back to the beginning of the chapter to know exactly which section is being dealt with. The time factor is important in laboratory work, and heading up of the pages in this manner might, we think, often

The study upon which Elaine Martin bases this text involved a survey of 160 academic staff in both the UK and Australia during 1995 and 1996 to determine their perceptions of the changing nature of their work. She uses the survey results to discuss the types of changes academia has been experiencing and makes suggestions for academic staff not only to cope with change but also to grow with it.
The author reminds the reader of the book's purpose several times. In the first chapter, it is described as an effort to help academic staff balance the 'paradoxes or tensions' (p. 4) of the current climate or culture in universities today. Later, the author states that her purpose is to 'find insights and guidance within the literature on student learning and organizational learning to help university people to work more effectively ' (p. 72). In neither case does the book's purpose seem to relate directly to understanding the findings of the survey of academic staff. Rather, Martin seems to use the findings to support her personal agenda.
The book has ten chapters. The first, 'Changes in academic work', begins with a statement of purpose and an overview of the chapters that follow. Chapter 2, 'Experiences of change in academic work', presents the findings of the author's survey. Chapters 3, 4 and 5, 'Learning and teaching in higher education', 'Organisational change and learning organisations', and 'Finding a way forward' present both student and organizational learning theories as well as the emerging tensions of academic staff responding to the survey. Even though the author does not specifically divide the book into two sections, a natural break occurs between Chapters 5 and 6. In the second part of the book the tensions introduced in Chapters 2 and 5 are examined in turn. These dedicated chapters (6 to 9) are 'Visions and missions and reality', 'Collaboration and independence', 'Accountability and reward', and 'Encouraging change: Valuing the past, preparing for the future'. Descriptive and eerily familiar sounding case studies vividly present the heart of each chapter's issue. Chapter 10, 'A final word: A better working life', synthesizes the author's intended message of hope and opportunity amid the changes and tensions of the current academic culture found in the UK and Australia.
The actual presentation of information does not read terribly pleasantly because of the inconsistencies that plague the book's structure. For instance, even though the volume is based on a study of 'N = 161' (Table 2.1, p. 13) academic staff, the author refers to the sample size as 160 in other places. Further, Chapter 2, which presents the survey and results, reads like a journal article rather than the foundational chapter of the book, and could be considered underdeveloped. There are serious methodological problems with the survey. It was conducted using a qualitative approach with academic staff at universities where the author already had contacts. She derives themes from the comments of participants and provides percentages for the number of comments relating to these themes, but there is no serious analysis of the statistical significance of the response percentages. Such consideration could be especially useful where the face values for comments of those in academic leadership positions and those in nonleadership roles seem to vary tremendously. The author does acknowledge that the composition of the sample could be construed as biased. None the less, Martin notes that there is 'very little variation between responses in the UK and Australia' (p. 14), while failing to provide any statistical justification for this conclusion. Nor does the author provide any demographic data to help the reader truly visualize the sample.
The text seems to have a clear purpose, yet the presentation seems to lack focus. Tangents occur throughout the text as if the author has transposed a conversation with the reader, but the tangential offerings actually distract from the main message. Martin alters the phraseology of the four main tensions throughout the book, which becomes cumbersome and confusing. For instance, she seems to consistently refer to 'vision and reality' except in Chapter 6, where it becomes 'visions and missions and reality.' Here she includes as a brief afterthought a discussion about mission. The author's section headings and case study depictions are not consistently presented, even within the same chapter. Some chapters break the case presentation and discussion into identified sections, whereas in others the presented case and its discussion are interwoven.
The two chapters that address learning theories and their application to academic staff issues have the potential to add meaningful depth and understanding, but in the end fall short. Chapter 4, about organizational change and learning organizations, simply restates principles outlined in The fifth discipline (1992) by Peter Senge. The chapter focuses on 'personal mastery, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking' (p. 50) and although the discussion is useful it unfortunately needs more depth and original thought.
Even though the book may seem shallow at times, the author does write in a way that attempts to encourage the imagination. The case studies are engaging, and as stated earlier, eerily hit home with this reader. One such case study is the presentation of two departments that were required to merge. Included is a discussion of how the two department chairs handled the merger with their staffs and how one of the two was able to look upon the departmental merger not as a territory threat, but rather as an opportunity to pursue research interests that were otherwise unachievable. Martin vividly describes incidents such as anger-driven conspiracies against the change by some academic staff and the dilemmas faced by the two chairs trying to attend to staff needs while trying to satisfy upper management.
The day-to-day challenges faced by academic staff in the UK and Australia seem to be well described throughout the book. The imagery and perspectives also seem applicable to higher education in the United States. Martin mentions incidents of the increasing blurring of work and private time, especially in administration and student affairs. The author also addresses the issue of teams comprising academic staff from several different departments. Any academic staff member might identify with such politics through their own experiences with committees such as core curriculum, campus technology, campus safety, and many others. Other issues addressed include redundancy and its effects on tenured staff as well as the increasing dependence on contract staff rather than full-time appointees. In the US too, turf wars and departmental politics engage team or committee members and distract them from committee goals, and contract instructors and adjunct faculty have a definite impact on academic culture.
This book potentially serves as a general motivational tool for academic staff and higher education administrators. It has credibility as a self-help book or casual academic read. In-depth consideration of the text may leave the reader feeling frustrated whereas a light reading may indeed energize the reader in the way Martin seemed to hope. For American and other international readers, the text presents a valuable look at the experiences of academic peers in the UK and Australia. Additionally, the author's use of terminology regarding academic staffing has enabled this reader to easily connect anecdotes and cases with US practice.
In the final analysis, I do recommend the book because of its encouraging, hopeful message. For the busy academic who seeks out professional development, this text can be of benefit. For the disgruntled academic, Martin offers a perspective from which academics who might feel otherwise passionate and positive about academic practice can garner realistic alternatives and mental models. Methodological problems related to the study inhibit a scholarly endorsement. But certainly the text calls out for additional worldwide research into organizational change and academic leadership among academic staff.

Buckingham, England: Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press, 2000.
At a time when innovation is often trotted out as an unqualified good in a variety of policy papers, nationally and within institutions, it is gratifying to find this interesting and critical analysis of what academics understand by 'innovating', their perceptions of the barriers to innovation and what is producing change within the UK. Readers of this journal will find the book of considerable interest because it provides a careful examination of the institutional factors that seem to be at work in promoting or inhibiting change in higher education.
The study is based on qualitative research undertaken in two phases by the authors in 15 British universities between 1996 and 1999. This was a period during which the Dearing Report was published, giving new impetus to the promotion and desirability of innovation. Since the case studies span a wide range of types of institution, it is fascinating to read the authors' account of how change was being managed and the response of academics to this shifting environment. They are careful to discuss the impact of structural matters, policy initiatives, changing definitions within the literature on learning and teaching, as well as the response of individuals, particularly of staff who define themselves as innovators. The book succeeds in finding a balance between institutional factors and individual responsibility for promoting innovation.
The authors do not set out to tell us how to be innovative, although in describing the case studies there are certainly useful insights into how to manage change. Neither is it possible, within the limitations of this research project, to assess the impact of innovations on student learning. The motivation for innovation was nearly always the tutors' personal commitment to teaching and to their students (and, incidentally, very little to do with funding) but, as Hannan and Silver point out, it cannot be assumed that the aim to improve student learning is always successful. Although this study does not go beyond staff perceptions, it does provide some very helpful analysis of types of innovations, different kinds of incentives, the main challenges that innovators face and the environment in which innovations are occurring, The authors are cautious in drawing any general conclusions about whether real change is occurring. In their view 'things are happening'. Teaching and learning are being talked about more, structures to support teaching are being set up in old as well as new universities, funding is being made available, but they conclude by saying that 'whether this accumulation of developments means a real shift in the environment for innovation in teaching and learning' is 'an interesting challenge'. They pinpoint changes in the perception of disciplines, of the notion of academic 'communities' and of new technologies as being particularly pertinent in the near future to the environment in which innovation will take place.
This somewhat tentative conclusion might be regarded as disappointing, since it does not say whether those of us in the business of promoting change are succeeding. However, it is consistent with the style of this book to describe the perceptions of those studied rather than to take up a position in relation to what is said or what was found. Furthermore, I am sure the authors are right to be cautious. One reason is because, as they point out, what counts as an innovation is continuously changing and one person's innovation is old hat to someone else. The successes of some staff in promoting particular innovations do not allow us to extrapolate into different contexts and different conceptions of innovation.
Heraclitus famously declared that you can never step into the same river twice, because the 'river' is made up of continuously changing elements. Much the same point can be made about innovations, because all innovations -whether they involve group work, using educational technology, role plays and simulations, skills development, group and peer assessment -change in response to contextual shifts over time and take different forms in different subject and institutional contexts. If this makes generalization about innovators and innovating difficult, it also explains their fascination. For any who share this fascination with innovation, this book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of this complex phenomenon.

Savin-Baden, M. Problem-based learning in higher education: Untold stories. Buckingham, England: Society for Research into Higher Education and Open University Press, 2000.
I should say from the outset that I am a great believer in problem-based learning (PBL) and have used it with some of my students for 12 years. So a book that offered to tell the untold stories of problem-based learning was certainly something I looked forward to reading. Overall I was not disappointed, though I do have some reservations, of which more later.
The book is in four parts, the first being an analysis of the theoretical and philosophical underpinnings of the PBL method and an examination of the reasons why the method is growing in popularity. The author then moves on to the thesis that PBL in a learning society context is undervalued, and that PBL needs to be discussed within the experiential learning landscape. The second part explores the theory and practice of PBL in four British universities. Out of this analysis a framework for understanding the nature of the learner experience on PBL programmes is presented. This framework is used as a model to explore what the author terms the transition from disjunction to integration. Part 3 looks at ways of understanding and implementing the ideas and challenges that come from the framework. The final two chapters that constitute part 4 attempt to place PBL in the wider world of higher education. At the start of chapter 1 the author makes a bold assertion that 'problem-based learning needs to be located more centrally in the world of higher education than it is currently.' Given that I know large numbers of colleagues in my institution whose hackles would be raised by such a statement, I decided to read the book from the perspective of the PBL sceptic rather than PBL practitioner, someone reading the book to be convinced of this opening assertion.
Part 1 seeks to give a background to PBL, but the first chapter, provocatively entitled 'Problem based learning underestimated' seems to fall into the trap of focusing on the role of PBL in professional education and skill development. To my mind such an approach is unlikely to convince the sceptic working outside these fields that PBL has something to offer -and my experience tells me that that is where the great numbers of unbelievers live. The second chapter is better in that it begins to explore such concepts as learner identity and the learning context which are important whatever the teaching method. This exploration starts to make a case that PBL offers something different, namely that the approach is more respectful of the learner identity and is more likely to be anchored in a context that is more learner-based than other teaching methods.
The opening of the second part describes the research methodology and the four universities and programmes involved. (Though not named, they are, I think, for those who know the literature, easily recognized!) From the research work carried out at the four institutions, involving both staff and students, a model (the 'Dimensions of learner experience framework') emerged for rationalizing the student and staff experience.
The development of the framework is a carefully told story, and makes for fascinating reading. I paused on many occasions and thought back to things that had happened on PBL courses I had run, areas where difficulties had been found and those great moments (that I call GOBO moments -Glimpse of the Blindingly Obvious) when a student finally gets something they have been struggling with. The framework offered here provides useful insights into understanding what might have been happening in such moments and is, I feel, a major step forward in understanding what the problem-based learning process puts learners through. For PBL facilitators the book is a highly useful tool for helping them reflect on their actions and the outcomes that were achieved.
At this point I have to say that I had slipped back to reading as a PBL practitioner, but stepping back to a sceptic's perspective for just a moment I think that this section would offer insights into the learning process that many teachers in higher education ignore or pretend just do not exist. In my opinion this section might begin to open the eyes (and hopefully the minds) of those sceptical of PBL.
Part 3 starts with a chapter intriguingly entitled 'Recognizing disjunction'. For those who struggle with grand titles, disjunction is defined as 'a sense of fragmentation of part of, or all of, the self, characterized by frustration and confusion and a loss of sense of self, which often results in anger and the need for right answers'. The author states that this is an area rarely addressed by those working in the field of PBL or higher education in general. This is an understatement if ever there was one. I have lost count of the number of times I have heard students on PBL courses utter phrases such as 'if only you had given us a lecture it would have saved us hours . . . ' In my own work in staff and educational development the whole area of handling emotions or dealing with emotional issues is much neglected, though Matthew and Sayers (1999) have looked at some aspects of the issue. I do think that the whole area of emotional intelligence (Goleman, 1996) and its application to higher education is a neglected area, that deserves attention. The Savin-Baden framework is at long last a starting point for anchoring observations about the learning experience and the emotional response generated.
The rest of this section of the book deals with issues of managing the transitions that result from the disjunction that PBL creates. This was a rather disappointing section for me, as it never really gets to grips with the question of how I, as a facilitator of PBL, can help learners through these transitions. It simply raises more questions. I was not expecting a list of tips and suggestions (53 interesting ways to manage disjunction transitions), but more a model or framework against which to anchor facilitator interventions, in ways similar perhaps to the manner in which I have used the Gestalt cycle as a framework for organizational interventions (Matthew & Sayers, 1999). But it may be that in sceptic mode I had unfair expectations.
Finally in part 4 of the book comes a reexamination of PBL, first in the context of a taxonomy of PBL methodologies and second in terms of the organizational development needed for institutions going down the PBL route. The latter part is convincing and certainly bears my own experience of PBL in my previous university and the experience of the University of Glasgow medical school which adopted a problem-based approach a few years ago. However, the taxonomy, and particularly the author's value judgments on the variants, left me with the feeling that she had missed the point of some of the variants or at least let personal perceptions come to the fore (as indeed I have just done!). However, these are minor quibbles with the style rather than the substance of the argument.
For me this is a very worthwhile read for those who are actively engaged in either facilitating problem-based learning, or indeed on the receiving end of it. Like the author, I believe that PBL is worthy of more wide-scale adoption in higher education and while this book alone will not achieve that, it is another small, but significant step along the way. For those in any way interested in PBL it is a 'must read'. Even if you are a PBL sceptic, then I believe you will find something in this book that will interest you.

Fallows, S. & Ahmet K. (Eds.). Inspiring students: Case Studies in motivating the learner. London: Staff and Educational Development Association and Kogan Page, 1999.
This volume is an edited collection of case studies, which focuses on teaching higher education courses for students whose main interests lie elsewhere. The editors explain that the central aim of the book is to show how students in these situations can be inspired to become independent and well-motivated learners. These sorts of issues have often been associated with mathematics or statistics courses provided for students who study other disciplines, but they can occur in a much wider range of settings. The case studies illustrate this broad relevance as they refer to the teaching of many different areas in addition to quantitative methods. Subject areas covered include science and technology; communication, computing, library and information skills; management; and art and design. There is also a chapter that focuses on the particular issues involved in inspiring students on inter-disciplinary courses. The cases are taken from a diverse range of types of institution across Canada, Australia, New Mexico, the UK and the USA.
The central strength of the book is that it illustrates how non-traditional methods of teaching can be made to work well in a wide range of contexts, even where resources are limited. Each case study involves a description of a particular course, focusing on the innovative solutions adopted to address the problems that have arisen. Many different solutions are discussed, including problem-based learning, business simulations, collaborative group work and the use of journals. A common theme in many of the cases is the question of how material can be presented so that students can see its relevance to their studies and wider lives. The case studies also situate each course within a description of its institutional context.
Most of the chapters are written by practitioners who have themselves encountered the problem of students' lack of intrinsic interest in a subject they teach. Each chapter is set out in a similar format, which would be useful if you were attempting to select the most relevant cases for your interests. On the whole, the writing is clear and would be accessible to most readers, although there is occasional use of terminology that would not be familiar to audiences outside staff development. However, one disadvantage of the concise style is that some of the richness of the case studies seems to have been lost. More detail of the staff and students' experiences of the courses would have been a worthwhile addition to many of the cases.
There were a number of case studies in this book that I found to be particularly interesting and informative. One of these was the account, given by John Savery in Chapter 5, of a business simulation exercise designed to increase students' motivation and improve their problem-solving and communication skills. The students worked in small teams, rotating through a number of simulated departments. For each department they were required to produce a collaborative written report on a particular problem scenario and oral presentations were also required in some instances. Savery was not involved in teaching the course but researched its impact on the students using a case study methodology based on multiple sources of data. From this he provides a detailed account of the teaching methods used. He was able to show that the course enhanced both students' motivation and their self-regulation, linking with the main theme of the book.
For me, one of the more thought-provoking points raised in the book was the theme, raised in Chapter 17 by Balasubramanyam Chandramohan, that students' motivation for a course may rest partly on their sense that an interdisciplinary subject has a clear identity that brings together students and staff into a community of scholars. In Chapter 12 Josefina Alvarez gives an interesting discussion of the importance of motivation and illustration in the teaching of mathematics, and of how students can be given different perspectives to increase their engagement with the subject. For example, she encourages students to see mathematics as a powerful tool in their own business, or as a phenomenon of cultural history. In Chapter 3, Calvin Kalman's discussion of teaching science to non-science students through reflective writing illustrates just how far it is possible to diverge from traditional teaching methods in the sciences.
Despite the range of interesting points made, I felt that the book was lacking in overall coherence. Quite a number of the case studies do not focus on the main theme of inspiring students, and others include irrelevant details. The chapters also differ quite markedly in the extent to which they provide links to relevant theory or literature, and in how thoroughly they provide evidence that the courses described had improved students' motivation. While this text was not intended to be a series of research reports, it seems reasonable to expect an illustration of how far each course was successful in relation to the aims of the book as a whole. This would aid staff in convincing colleagues that a particular innovation would be worthwhile. It would have helped if the editors had done more to pull the disparate material together, and to make stronger links between the chapters and the literature. Other weaknesses also crop up from time to time in the text: for example, some of the points made seem very obvious.
Overall, I found Inspiring Students to be an interesting read and I feel that it would be a useful additional text for anyone advising colleagues on the potential for innovation in their courses. Many of the teaching methods could be applied more widely, even in situations where resources are limited, or student numbers are high. The book would also be a useful source of examples of how staff have evaluated their own courses and made improvements based on the results. The volume does, however, have limitations that would make it less suitable as a resource for staff unfamiliar with the wider literature on teaching and learning.